Dojaku
The Dojaku was an elite heavy cavalry unit employed by General Chou Ga Ryuu at the Zhao's left-wing, during the Battle of Shukai Plains, against the right-wing of the Qin Military. History The Dojaku has been described as the cream of the crop of Chou Ga Ryuu's army, their best and the most powerful cavalry unit. They first appeared during the Western Zhao Invasion Arc, when they were used by strategist Chou Ga Ryuu to harass the Gyoku Hou Unit from the rear, as the main bulk of the Gyoku Hou forces executed a retreat aiming to give Ou Hon and a detachment of a thousand of his men, a chance to attack in the exact opposite direction - i.e. the left edge of Bananji's line formation, on the battlefield directly opposite from the Gyoku Hou original position. At that point, the Dojaku was successfully led by their two captains (the brothers Jo Shou and Jo Rin) in their mission to inflict heavy casualties to the retreating Gyoku Hou forces, but their efforts did not yield the expected results thanks to Ou Hon's unpredictable maneuver, and the Dojaku was unable to collect the Gyoku Hou captain's head as it was intended by their original strategy. After this failed attempt to destroy the leadership of the Gyoku Hou, the unit was kept in the rear waiting for instructions from their general until they were ordered to take action once again during the 14th day of the Battle of Shukai Plains, when the Right Wing of the Qin Military had depleted their entire food supplies and decided to launch an all-out offensive against the Zhao's Left Wing as a measure of last resort. In that 14th day, through the leadership of Shin himself, the cavalry of the Hi Shin Unit spearheaded the assault against Chou Ga Ryuu's army and trampled anything that stood in its path, anything but the third layer of defense that was manned by the Dojaku themselves, supporting the use of the Sifting Sands Formation. The formation was compared to an iron wall by Qin strategist Ka Ryo Ten, as it suddenly stopped the Qin's advance in its tracks after the Dojaku had managed to soften the Qin momentum with their frontal cavalry charge. It was only through sheer brute force that the captain of the Hi Shin Unit was able to rally his men and punch a hole through the Sifting Sands Formation in order to finally reach Chou Ga Ryuu's headquarters. However, as Shin and his men closed in on the enemy HQ, Chou Ga Ryuu fled on horseback prompting them to tail the Zhao General in desperate pursuit. Too late the Qin realized that this was just a feigned retreat, as they were struck without warning in their flanks by the Zhao's strongest Jo soldiers from the Dojaku. The Qin cavalry soon found themselves fighting for their lives in a location that has been previously prepared by Chou Ga Ryuu as a "kill-zone" in the eventuality of his Sifting Sands formations being broken. As the Jo Soldiers halted the Qin forces pursuing Chou Ga Ryuu, the rest of the Dojaku swiftly surrounded them, and the captains Jo Shou and Jo Rin personally went after Shin's head while their soldiers kept Shin isolated from the rest of his men. In the duel that ensued Shin was hardly pressed by the twin captains of the Dojaku, until he had enough and decided to execute a mighty blow against Jo Shou, thus deliberately opening his guard and inviting Jo Rin to stab him - which he did, but also left himself open to a quick counterattack that took the Dojaku's Left Captain life. After his little brother's defeat, Jo Shou released a desperate cry of grief and anger, summoning the entire Dojaku and all other elites available to converge on his position and turn the Hi Shin unit into mincemeat. The Dojaku responded as did part of the enemy's rear formation who dissolved and swarmed the area. The resulting encirclement would have certainly ended Shin and his men for good if it wasn't for the timely reinforcements of Kyou Kai's unit and the Na Ki Clan. Kyou Kai had originally planned to use both her own personal might combined to Shin's in order to break out of the encirclement, but once she learned how badly Shin had been injured by the fallen Jo Rin, she concluded that such a feat would be impossible, and decided to change tactics accordingly. She devised a plan where the Qin forces would not try to break out, but instead, they would use that opportunity to kill every last one of Chou Ga Ryuu's elites gathered around them, wiping out Chou Ga Ryuu's strongest force in one fell swoop. The Qin desperately followed this new strategy and began to hit the Dojaku's elites hard and fast, as soon as they were "marked" by lieutenant Kyou Kai - who used her Priestess Dance to wreak havoc among the Zhao's ranks, becoming a priority target in the eyes of the enemy and thus making them more vulnerable to her companions attacks. Her plan proved greatly successful because, despite being surrounded, the Hi Shin Unit was able to completely wipe out the Dojaku and other elites that were present at that spot, forcing Chou Ga Ryuu to retreat into the surrounding forests. Kyou Kai herself passed out from exertion, but not before killing Jo Shou. Later, Ba Nan Ji used the remnants of the then Dojaku to assault Ou Sen Army's HQ and attempt to kill Ou Sen himself. Members Leader Officers Gallery Category:Groups Category:Military Category:Zhao Category:Unit Category:Special Units